Amarante
by Flowerofthecourt
Summary: This is a later re-working of Where Eagles Fly. It is a story of learning about one's self, the terrors of reality, and to forgive.
1. The Beginning

_Amarante_

_A/N: As in the usual author's note, I claim no character in this story is mine except for the ones that I created. Just for the reader's information, this story is constantly going through re-workings. Where Eagles Fly was an early addition of this story. There will probably be more editions to come and with luck I might get happy with one and actually finish it. Hopefully it will be this one J. Without further ado then, enjoy the story!_

A shout that came from the guard of the west wall turned the attention of the lady commander from her sword practice. She swore, she didn't think they would be back so soon.

" Kel!" The guard called again, "five humans are approaching on the north side!"

Although Keladry of Mindelan was a rather thick set-sturdy girl, she was fit and a rather fast jogger and reached the top of the wall in good time. She pulled out a spyglass from her belt and pressed it to her eyes, brushing the sandy banes of her hair out of the way. The dread that had accompanied her now had vanished. Just a few weeks before, the last major battle with Scanra had been won. The surrender of Scanra was complete in all except in formal proclamation. Even though with most of their armies vanquished, and the child-possessed machines destroyed, Scanra was still dangerous and could have more then one trick up their sleeve. But in any case, the five people approaching hardly appeared to be five super warriors; On the contrary these people looked ragged, dirty, torn and weary. Kel pulled the spyglass away.

"Dom, those look to be refugees," she said to one of her lieutenants, " take some of the men to go fetch them. Some of them look to be children!"

………….

The thundering of hooves could be heard at a distance. Wearily, Amarante looked up to see four riders approaching them. 

"Danante, you and the children get behind me!" She breathed as she pulled out a dagger from her belt.

"Sister look they are caring a blue banner! They mean us no harm!"

But it was useless to say so. Amarante, in every way exhausted, in the months they had been journeying, only knew of a foe. No longer did 'friends' exist. The world that she knew consisted of death, hatred, and pain, but she was not going to let it touch the only people she had left. Amarante lifted the dagger to throw at the leader of the rushing entourage. She staggered and collapsed. The whole world went black.

…………. 

The front gate of New Hope opened, admitting Dom, his men, and the five others. Kel rushed to help them, then noticed that one of the refugees was slung over Dom's horse. He dismounted, and then carefully lifted the woman and held her in his arms. Looking up at Kel, and reading her expression, shook his head.

"She's not dead, dehydrated and sun-beat though. All of them are," he said, motioning to the others.

Kel turned her worried expression to the others; the eldest among them was a girl who looked to be about sixteen. The other three were mere children, each looking to be about six.

"What is your name?" She asked the eldest who was conscious.

"Danante." She replied, " That's Leanne, Salin, Janieva," motioning to the others.

" My sister Amarante, will she be alright?" She pointed to the woman who Dom was holding.

She held herself well, thought Kel, in fact all the children did. They stood firm; their voices steady and their faces were controlled. In fact the only thing that gave away their real feelings of the situation were their eyes. Every so often they bespoke of the worried ness they had to feel.

" Can you walk?" She asked Danante. "Your sister will be fine after a sleep and some good food and water. It's what you all need. Neal, our healer, will take care of all of you." Beginning

………….

Domitan of Masbolle was a lieutenant of the King's Own and for the time being was placed at New Hope under the leadership of Kel. Dom, throughout his life, had been given many blessings: Rugged good looks, boyish charm, intelligence, wit, a happy disposition and a wealthy home. But every character is prone to some particular evil and his, was to think a little to well of himself and perhaps having to often his own way. But in any case, he had a good heart and felt nothing but concern for the woman he was carrying to the hospital ward.

Neal immediately took charge of the five newcomers upon entering. He had Dom lay Amarante on a clean bed, while Kel escorted the other four into rooms of their own.

"What do you think?" asked Dom

"What do I think about what?" Neal replied as he shuffled about the room, sometimes grabbing a balm from this table, or some bandages from that one.

"The girl lunkhead."

Neal paused. "Well she certainly will live, if that's what you're worried about. She probably will need to sleep a few days to get her strength back however."

Kel walked in after settling the children in their beds.

" Those children are the most behaved ones I have ever seen. They are so emotionless. I do not know how they do it." She shook her head, then turning to look at who Danante said was Amarante asked "How is she?'

" You and my dear cousin seem to be of one mind. Like I told him, she's not on the verge of death."

She stepped closer to the bed and looked down at its patient. She was a tall thin woman. No doubt thinner then she should be. Her brown hair was tangled with every possible dirt and grime. Every part of her body seemed to be beaten and battered. Bruises and scratches lined her cheeks and brow. But it was her arms that caught her attention. Blue tattoos ran from her wrists to the top of her shoulder blades: Markings of suns, rain, and lines running in between.

" Neal do you know what these markings are for?"

Busy as he was, applying the balm and his gift to all the woman's wounds, gave a short irritated 'I don't know'.

Dom seconded that opinion when she asked him next, so there was nothing left to do but frown and wait till Amarante or the others woke to ask questions about who they were, where they came from, and what had happened to them. Perhaps this Amarante's blue tattoos were rather impertinent and useless to wonder about. Kel could not help but shake the feeling that somehow these tattoos were important.

………….

Birds chirping and sunlight were the first thing that Amarante's eyes and ears met when she awoke. Where am I, she wondered? The last thing she could remember was a voice screaming her name. She struggled to sit up and looked about the room; She was lying in a comfortable bed, wearing a clean nightgown. The tables next to her bed, held every sort of wrappings and medical instrument she had ever seen. Instinctively she brought a hand up to her forehead. There lay a bandage, neatly and carefully wrapped. 

Suddenly she remembered who was screaming her name before; Danante, where was Danante? The children? She had to go find them. They could be hurt or captured or… or even worse. Her feet trembled, as she set them on the floor. They seemed at any moment to collapse under any pressure that might be put to them. Amarante took a deep breath, and then…

" Hey, Hey, Hey! You're not well enough to get up yet!"


	2. Dreams

_Amarante_

_  
A/N:_ _The only thing I would like to say is : Please Review. I would like to know how I'm doing. Enjoy the story. _

Birds chirping and sunlight were the first thing that Amarante's eyes and ears met when she awoke. 

Where am I, she wondered?The last thing she could remember was a voice screaming her name. She struggled to sit up and looked about the room; She was lying in a comfortable bed, wearing a clean nightgown. The tables next to her bed, held every sort of wrappings and medical instrument she had ever seen. Instinctively she brought a hand up to her forehead. There lay a bandage, neatly and carefully wrapped.

Suddenly she remembered who was screaming her name before; Danante, where was Danante? The children? She had to go find them. They could be hurt or captured or… or even worse. Her feet trembled, as she set them on the floor. They seemed at any moment to collapse under any pressure that might be put to them. Amarante took a deep breath, and then…

" Hey, Hey, Hey! You're not well enough to get up yet!"

Amarante looked up at the man blocking the doorway. He was tall with light brown hair. A gentle smile spread across his face.

_The smell of blood and dirt lingered in the air as he pressed himself upon her. His ugly lips sought hers, as his sweat dribbled off his chin. She wanted to push away, so desperately did she want to run. The gold of the circlet around his head, shimmered. _

_The sound of laughter reached her ears, the jeering of his companions, the shouts of _

_"Take her now, take her now!"_

_He caught her arms, and pressed them to the wall. His sinister eyes bore down on her. He whispered to her, "One of the great warriors eh? Then beat me, go back to your people before it's to late!"_

_His laugh was harsh and cold as he tore of the top of her gown. He bent his head down, making revolting slobbering noises as he went. Against her will, a tear slowly traced her cheek before dropping to the ground. _

_A dagger flashed in the moonlight. _

Amarante's dark eyes blazed at this stranger. Unconsciously she drew herself up, preparing to protect herself. She did not see her weapons anywhere, but her fists would work just as well. He had done something to Danante and the children. She struggled for breath.

"Please, please let them be living. Oh Gods don't abandon me! Great Goddess hear my prayer!" She thought to herself.

Amarante struggled as she tried to stand. Her legs were not ready to support her again. She grabbed the ledge of the table and forced herself up.

"Don't try to stand just yet. Thin as you are, your legs still need strengthening and rest. Sit back down."

Amarante did not care. She had to find them. She had to! A drop of fear shivered down her spine. If he had hurt them in any way, she would kill him! Neal looked at her in concern as she tried to pull herself into a fighting stance. What was the girl doing? He wondered.

"Be that as it may that most of my patients would like to hit or strangle me after I have worked on them. Well actually, it's not just my patients but that's not the point. You are not ready to yet. Unless you would like to fall unconscious again." He gave a smirk. "Let me help you into your bed and get a glass of water for you, then you can receive your sister. She has been very anxious about you!"

At the sound of the word 'sister', Amarante relaxed. It was not that she now trusted this man, she didn't, it was the fact that if her sister was alive; then the other children were too. They were safe at least for now.

"My sister!" Amarante croaked, "Where is my sister?"

"She just woke up as a matter of fact. My name's Neal by the way." He handed her a water cup as she sat down on the bed again. Her head felt dizzy, and pressed a hand to it.

" I thank you for the water."

Neal observed her as she drank. By anybody's standards she certainly was a beauty, he thought, with smooth skin and silky dark hair to trigger any man's desire. But there was something isolated and distant about it, yet it was still captivating. It was almost like there was a wall around her; an impenetrable aura, that no man could conquer. It was her eyes though; those bold, vivid, and merciless eyes that would drive any man to try.

Neal sighed and pushed all thoughts away. He did not want to try in any case, took the cup away from her, then forced a grin

" I'll go fetch your sister for you then. The little ones are still abed yet. I'll have them come as soon as they are up."

Amarante could barely hide the happiness she was feeling at seeing her sister alive, whole and well. And only when Neal left, did she show it. She wept and kissed her sister for joy. Danante was hardly less emotional, and the sisters' tears mingled together, but the smiles that traced their faces were the first to cross them in a month.

"Oh Ama, I thought you had died back there. You can't leave me here alone Ama you cant!" Danante whispered into her shoulder. " I need you!"

" Hush, sweet. I am not dead. We both must stay alive together."

They stayed together like that for a long time, just happy being with in the arms of each other and until the children also rushed into Amarante's arms begging for comfort, did she find out from Danante that they had reached their destination of New Hope and were under the guardianship of its commander: Keladry of Mindelan. Amarante soon felt her eyelids began to droop, and with the security of her sister holding her hand and the children resting against her, drifted off to sleep.

_The dagger pressed itself to the back of the noblemen, revealing a hand held it. _

_" Touch her again and it will be the last thing in this life that you shall do." The hand's owner whispered. _

_The man chortled at his attacker, " You have made it your last night, not mine."_

_He pushed her away, as he drew out his sword. The pounding of hooves soon could be heard as well as the clashing of cold steel; the grunts of men and women as each sought to kill their enemy. _

_She quickly got up, drew a curved dagger from her boot and attacked the first soldier she saw. With one quick stroke, he lay gutted on the ground. On and on she went, with each death by her hand, she looked for another victim to take the fallens' place. _

_A man raised his sword at a young girl, who although fighting aggressively, her fists were no use to a superior weapon. _

_She ran towards them, coming up behind, and swiftly chopping off his head. _

_"Run Danante, run! Get as many of the young ones out of here as you can! GO!" She yelled as she turned yet to fight another. _

_In the middle of the battleground, the two that started it all, were in a heated struggle. Each stroke the other made came only inches away from death. The nobleman then screamed as blood poured from his hand, and his index finger fell to the ground_

_Amarante's eyes traveled to her defender as he slipped on the newly blood-spewed ground. The enraged nobleman brought down his sword, and cut him through. _

_A high-pitched scream lingered the air, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _

_It was hers._

_The feet of the soldiers raced around her, like a nest of hungry hornets whose appetite could not be satisfied. The smooth green grass turned red as more and more blood was spewed. The world was lost._

Amarante sat up in bed, sweat pouring down every inch of her being. It was now dark. Danante and the children had left a while ago. Her hands were clasped over her mouth, to prevent herself from crying out. Silent tears slowly made their way down her face.

"Galyn! Oh Galyn!" She whispered.

She closed her eyes and Galyn's cold dead eyes, his bloody mangled corpse, met her. Her stomach surged and Amarante turned to the side and threw up. The tears still silently running down her cheeks.


	3. The Blessed Land

Amarante

_A/N:_ _The only thing I would like to say is : Please Review. I would like to know how I'm doing. Enjoy the story. Sorry if it takes me awhile to update my story. On one point I'd like to apologize. It has been awhile since I read Lady Knight and I don't own the book. So if there are any mistakes with characters… please inform me. I'm trying my best to keep it close with Lady Knight's characters. _

……………

Kel stared at the already setting sun. Night seemed to come faster then it had before. She had had reports from Neal about the progress of the new comers. It had been three days since their arrival, and already Amarante could walk about the room and feed herself. She had tried asking Danante about where they had come from, but all she got, was a shake of her head. She didn't want to ask Amarante yet, for fear of upsetting her recovery process.

As for the rest of the population of New Hope, news had spread like wildfire about the new arrivals. People talked excitedly about them. They had had many new arrivals since the war ended, but for some reason these travelers held more significance. From what Kel picked up from other's passing conversation, her first instinct had been correct. The Blue markings on Amarante, and the less visible ones on Danante meant something. What that something was, Kel had not figured out yet, but many people used the word '_Shah_' to describe them, with deep reverence.

With a sigh, Kel plopped herself in a seat when she entered the mess hall. She filled her plate with meat and beans. Dom, who sat to her left, greeted her with his normal flirtatious manner. She grinned and gave him a light smack.

" Don't give me any of that Sir Dom. You won't break my heart that easily as you do with the other ladies here!"

Dom returned the grin and gave her a playful answer to match hers. "Very well love, but you _have _already brokenmine!"

Kel laughed, knowing the words were all fun and games but it still did not stop the beating of her heart. To hide her emotions, she quickly changed the subject.

" So have you found out what this mysterious 'shah' word means?"

"No Idea." Dom replied taking a bite out of his steak. " I s'pose we could always ask someone."

She snorted, " You know that actually makes too much sense."

"What does?" Asked Neal, who just joined the table. "Ah, never mind, you have a very one track mind. Do you realize that?"

"I actually might be able to help in that department, though. You see, Adner came to see me today about a swollen ankle. Well, while I was tending him, he started asking about which rooms the Shah were in and asking whether he could go and pay his respects."

" And?" Kel asked.

" And when I asked him what the word meant, he started going on about the Shah's extensive history and they're fighting abilities, blah, blah, blah. Apparently they're some kind of warrior tribe." Neal shook his head, "If you want to get the whole history, go talk to Adner. He would be most happy to oblige you, believe me."

" I think maybe I will."

……………

It was not hard finding Adner that night. He was in his rooms, surrounded by what looked to be half the camp, clearly all there to hear the same story that Kel wanted.

When Adner saw her, he smiled, "Have you come to hear the tale of the Shah too, Lady Kel?

"Yes, I did. I have to admit though I know nothing about the Shah. So you will have to start at the beginning for my sake."

"Everyone gather close then. Every Scanran is brought up on this tale, so keep your ears open little ones," he touched a little girl's ear as Kel took her seat.

" As water was first sprinkled on the ground, as the birds first grew wings and took to the sky, as gold and copper first was created in the underground mines, the Shah came to be."

Kel had to smile. Adner was a perfect storyteller.

" They were set apart, from the very beginning, by the gods, who had chosen them to blessed and superior to all other forms of man that they had yet created. They gave them skills of advanced swordsmanship, resources of gold and ore, beauty of face and feature. They were endeared to the gods, as the gods were to them. Their population grew and grew and spread over a vast area of land, conquering the many people of lesser value to the supreme. To thank the Gods for their favor, they named their territory Scanra or Blessed Land. It was a time of peace and prosperity. But any human is still human, and it was not long before the blessed of the blest became corrupt. The ancestors say that on the day Fegar was born, the skies became dark, and claps of thunder could be heard in the distance. Cursed be his name forever!

He broke off with the sacred of sacredness of tribes taking the secrets of their warrior trade to build a separate society of corruption disease, thievery, dishonesty and sacrilege. He attracted many followers, most from the other tribes the Shah had conquered. They took pleasure in killing, and desecrated the temples of the mightier beings. The 'Blessed Land' soon came to the brink of civil war when at last the Gods intervened. They were angry, sorrowful, and hurt that the nation they had so much favored had become no more then the average chaos-infested human being. However as much as the Gods wanted to, they could not punish them too harshly. Love is a strong tie to break. Therefore they condemned Fegar and his followers to live life as the normal do. They would have kings and queens, wars and times of peace but never would they be looked at or favored by the Gods again. To the faithful Shah, which had been greatly reduced by number, were banished to the Northern Mountains of the country they worked so hard to create. They were made to vow never to harm or kill any of the Scanran people. Never again would the rest of the corrupted human race see them. For thousands and hundred thousand years they have remained hidden. Modern historians have marked them the people of fairy tales and legends. Until now." So Adner closed his tale, to see the elders crying and the young with glossy eyes. It was their history; the history of the Blessed, the _Scanran _people.

As the children were put to bed, and as the others were leaving, Kel approached Adner.

"You are a wonderful story teller Adner."

He bowed in acknowledgment. " It was not merely a story though, Lady Kel, it is the truth of my people."

"But how can you tell that Amarante and the others are from this Shah tribe? Why can't they be from some other tribe in Scanra?"

Adner drew up the sleeves of his shirt. "By their markings. It is written by our ancestors that the blessed are marked with the favors of the Gods. If you look closely at them, Lady Kel, you will notice that on their arms lay all the symbols of the Great Gods. It is not normal body paint. Even if you touch the markings with a hot coal, they will not disappear. "

Kel thanked him then for relieving some of her curiosity regarding the newcomers. But as she walked back to her room, she was not as convinced as the others, that Danante and Amarante were the blessed of the Gods.

……………


End file.
